On Thursday, Microsoft has announced that Windows XP Mode no longer requires hardware virtualization technology to run; this means that if you happen to have an older system with a CPU incapable of supporting virtualization, and this prevented you from making the switch to 7 as you or your business needed applications that would only work through XP Mode, you can now upgrade to 7 and take advantage of XP Mode.
For those of you unfamiliar with Windows XP Mode, it is a compatibility tool in Windows 7 that allows you to run software in the XP environment on your 7 desktop. For example, you would be able to install and use IE6 through XP Mode on 7, which wouldnt otherwise run. XP Modewhich is essentially a license of Windows XPis free for everyone who purchased a legit copy of Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate; other SKUs below Professional do not support Windows XP Mode.
If you do not represent a small to mid-sized business but rather an enterprise, MED-V, which is a part of MDOP, should be deployed instead. The update to Windows XP Mode will go live later today at the official XP Mode website.